Greetings friends and family. And a very Merry Christmas to you all! The count down is on, since only days remain until Christmas. The malls and streets are busy here with shoppers preparing for the big day(s). This has indeed been the busiest month so far for me since I came in July. Rhonda and I were looking through our calenders and realizing that between the both of us, every day of this month there is some sort of party or function which we have been invited
I have also planned a few parties of my own here with our different ministries. The biggest so far was our youth party last saturday night which was also a sleepover at the church. We started with a dinner. Here we are praying before our meal!
Thank you all for your prayers.
to. Of course, we can't make it to everything, but we are sure trying!
There has even been a wedding we were a part of of a Filipina friend of ours who married a Nigerian. So, not only did I get to experience a Filipino wedding for the first time, but also a Nigerian one! It was a neat mix of both. There was a lot of cultural dancing and music and the most entertaining with seeing Rhonda dance down the aisle at the reception to Nigerian music, she did great! We had a lot of fun and great food.
I have also planned a few parties of my own here with our different ministries. The biggest so far was our youth party last saturday night which was also a sleepover at the church. We started with a dinner. Here we are praying before our meal!
And we played a lot of games. Here are Lyka, Jane and CerryAnn getting ready to play as they listen to the instruction of our M.C., Mark. -->
And here is us as a group with our gifts! Saying Merry Christmas to you from the youth group of ACF church!
Last week was also extra busy because we had three visitors from Japan here to see some of the children's ministries going on in Cebu City and visit a bunch of schools. We also took them to the island of Bohol where they saw the Chocolate Hills and the smallest monkeys in the world: The Tarsiers. See below :)
But it wasn't all fun and games, we visited a large land property where we were before back in August to do our missions trip. On this property, there is a dream to build a camp and/or retreat centre for pastors and couples to go and rest. And also a place for recovering addicts to go and live in the province, away from the city where there will be counsellors available to them as they recover. It's a beautiful property. So we took some time to pray over the land and ask God's direction and provision for this dream camp in Bohol.
Next big event coming up, is on the 26th of December. Rhonda and I will be leaving for an Alliance youth retreat in Leyte, another island off of Cebu. We both have big roles to play as we are leading and facilitating small groups and doing some teaching together with many youth pastors from all around the Visayans. I will be taking 4 of my youth to this retreat and we are all pretty excited to go.
That's it for now, its about time to go. There was just a large group of young people that came in with a guitar and sang Christmas carols in this tiny internet cafe! There, my friends, is an example of something I would have never thought even happened in this world, but I have learned to never say never. Everyday I am witnessing that anything is possible in the Philippines!
Praises:
-Had a great Christmas party with the youth, it went smoothly and we were all blessed
- God's provision for all my needs
- A great month of meeting new people and making new connections
Prayer Requests:
-For the rest of this busy month, to get everything done that needs to get done!
-Youth retreat in Leyte, safety and protection in our travels and for the youth to grow deeper in their walk with God!
- All around health and protection
Thank you all for your prayers.
God Bless
-Amanda
